


The Favoured

by SalParadiseLost



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Cults, Gen, Goddesses, Hurt Jason Todd, Hurt Tim Drake, Hurt/Comfort, Ritualised Torture, Rituals, Supernatural Elements, Torture, Whump, the Goddess of Vengeance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:33:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29863674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalParadiseLost/pseuds/SalParadiseLost
Summary: Jason Todd is a favourite of the Goddess of Vengeance.***(Bad Things Happen Bingo Prompt: Vengeance)
Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195589
Comments: 13
Kudos: 121





	The Favoured

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a submission for my Bad Things Happen Bingo! It's one of my stranger ideas, but I like it anyways.

Jason has been in some shitty situations and this one is definitely trying to make the top ten.

He snarled against his restraints, pulling against them with all his might, but they held fast. He was on some kind of altar, legs and arms splayed out like he was about to be dissected. Beyond him, dozens of people in white robes chanted in a foreign language. Firelight flickered over their forms, but he couldn’t see any of their faces.

Exhaustion soaked through him like his body was a dirty rag. The stone was cold on his bare back. His muscles ached, a wound on his side was bleeding sluggishly and his ankle screamed so much that Jason didn’t have any doubt that it was broken.

He didn’t care, though, not about his own pain.

The only thing he could think about was his little brother, violently fighting being tied down like Jason.

Tim looked so small, held between three men that were each the size of Bruce. Two of them gripped each of his wrists, and the other held down to his ankles. He flailed, trying desperately to get one limb free. Blood dribbled down his face and he must have tried to rub it away at some point because red stained the delicate angles of his face in a murderous swipe.

“Let him go,” Jason yelled, his own voice going hoarse. “You already have me, just let him go. He’s just a kid.” The only thing he could do was yell, and his own helplessness crushed him like a vice.

Why was he so damn useless that he couldn’t even save his kid brother? Why was he able to stop anything?

Desperation leaked into his heart, making it beat furiously in his chest.

He pulled against the restraints, ignoring the ache of his already rubbed raw skin. He needed to get free. He needed to get to Tim. He needed to save them from whatever this crazy cult was going to do to them.

And given the array of knives that he could see just out of the corner of his vision, it wasn’t anything good.

“You don’t have him on the altar yet?” A feminine voice snapped from a place in the room Jason couldn’t see.

“It’s not exactly easy,” one of the men ground out, exertion leaking through his voice. Tim managed to slip a wrist free and give him a wild punch across his face. Jason felt a flare of pride in his chest when the man let out a long string of curses.

The woman huffed, her blonde head finally coming into Jason’s vision. “Break him if you need to. We only need him alive.”

Then, there was a snap that Jason didn’t think he’d ever forget and his whole world became Tim’s screams.

“Stop. Please don’t hurt him,” he begged, his voice becoming wet with helpless frustration as there was another snap and Tim’s scream was stopped short, only to be followed by another. His little brother was crying, sobs wet with agony, but he kept fighting, kept desperately trying to kick one of the men off him.

It was so obviously clear, though, Tim didn’t stand a chance.

His movements were becoming more frantic, but they were losing the power behind them as pain and exhaustion began to overtake him.

One man managed to tie one of his wrists down and the other soon followed. Tim’s breaths became a panicked rush, and his small chest rose in quick, uneven pulses.

“No, no, no,” Tim chanted, tugging at the restraints on his arms as he kept trying to kick out. His screams had become heart-breaking whimpers that sent a knife through Jason’s chest every time he heard it.

When the men finished tying his baby brother down, the blonde woman finally came fully into view.

“Good,” she said, one of her fingers trailing down Tim’s bare chest. He tried to flinch away from the touch, but he was pinned against the stone table.

“No. Stop,” he begged, but the woman’s smile only grew. He was forced to bear it, even as the woman’s hand travelled down and Tim’s squirming to get away increased. Every single one of Tim’s desperate movements sent a new wave of fury crashing through Jason.

He cursed in the air, but his words could do nothing against the woman who would get her hands off his little brother.

Tim caught his eyes and Jason hated all the fear he saw reflected back to him. He longed to be able to scoop Tim up and take him away from everything, but he couldn’t even get himself off a table.

The woman hummed; her eyes cold as she considered Tim like he was a piece of meat. “I’m sorry you will have to die, little bird. You are a pretty creature.”

“Get your hands off him, you bitch,” Jason snarled, his voice pure anger. The smirk on her face grew as she appraised him out of the corner of her eye.

“Don’t worry, angry one. You’re pretty too, in your own way. I guess it is only fitting that we should give two beautiful sacrifices to our goddess.”

Anxiety settled in Jason’s chest as she picked up a knife from a nearby pedestal.

She met his eyes, her smile both peaceful and evil at the same time, and she turned, going towards Tim. Jason’s eyes widened as he realised what was about to happen and how powerless Jason was to stop it.

“No!” Jason howled, wrenching against the binds in a new wave of fear. The green of his anger mixing together with his cold powerlessness.

The woman held the knife delicately in her hand, placing it against the sensitive skin of Tim’s inner arm. His little brother whimpered as the blade went in cutting a bloody, red line against the pale skin. Blood dripped down and the woman motioned for one of her servants to catch it in a bowl.

Something tight in Jason’s chest released when he saw the murderous line on his brother’s arm instead of his throat.

She swivelled on her heel, completely ignoring the murmurs of pain that were escaping from the kid she had just sliced.

Her eyes caught on Jason and he suddenly knew what was about to happen. She didn’t speak as she cut a similar line into Jason’s arm, but her deranged smile grew.

If, no, _when_ they got out of here, that emotionless lunatic smile with his little brother’s whimpers behind it was going to haunt his nightmares.

“Now,” she spoke as she poured Jason’s and Tim’s blood together. Her voice rose in volume as she spoke. “Let us mix together the blood of brothers, who both are and not. Who fight for each other and fight against each other. One who keeps and one who kills. A Cain and an Abel.”

She took the bowl of blood and mixed powdery black dust into it. Jason’s eyes widened when the vessel suddenly lit on fire, the red flame quickly turning green. The air suddenly twisted in on itself, turning numbingly cold and becoming filled with the sharp sting of ozone and electricity.

Jason stilled, a new type of terror taking over him. He still felt helpless, but now in a new sense, one that made him feel distinctly small and human. Because, this woman, she was insane.

But she was insane and playing with much bigger guns than Jason could have imagined.

He struggled again, as he watched the smoke from the green flame rise and began to take form on the ground. The smoke condensed into a vaguely human form until something stepped out of it.

Jason wanted to flinch back more because all his instincts screamed at him to _RUN!_

Whatever was here. Whatever had just stepped out of that smoke wasn’t human.

It was something darker and deeper and vastly more powerful.

The thing smiled, suddenly shifting into the shape of a small girl. Despite its tiny frame, it didn’t lose an ounce of the power behind its eyes. It blinked and took a look around before its gaze settled on the blonde woman holding the flame.

The crazy woman scrambled, placing the pyre down and dropping to her knees. She bowed before whatever the hell she had just pulled out of an Eldritch realm and her voice barely contained her glee.

“Goddess of Vengeance, we are your servants. We welcome you into our world with the sacrifices of brothers, Cain and Abel. Please use us as your slaves to do your bidding on the world.”

The thing grinned and in its small mouth was a set of horrifying teeth. “Oh fun!” the thing chirped, the sound bright and violent at the same time. The clash of emotions in the voice made Jason’s blood go cold.

“It’s been a while since I’ve crashed around up here. I guess, it could be fun,” it added, rocking back and forth on its heels like a little kid. It gazed around the room, eyes landing on Tim before skittering and moving to Jason.

“Jason Todd!” it chirped, joy overtaking its face. Its features brightened, and it looked vastly more human than it had a moment ago. “It’s been so long. What have you been up to?”

Jason’s mind stopped, and he furrowed his eyebrows.

_What?_

The goddess bounced up to him, her small face upside down from his prone position. Her green eyes flashed multicoloured when the firelight hit them just right. She frowned when she took in his injuries, the wound still bleeding on his side, his broken ankle that was tilted at a weird angle, and the long slice in his arm. Not to mention the myriad of other bruises that were purpling around his body.

“They hurt you,” the Goddess said, her voice suddenly cold. Dread pooled in his stomach and he squirmed on the table. The binds bit into the already rubbed raw skin of his wrists.

The Goddess twisted around, darkness and smoke rushing to her side like a dog.

Jason could only see her back, but he knew she was smiling, dark and deadly.

“You hurt one of my favourite humans and now you pay,” she laughed, and the sound was unhinged.

It rang in Jason’s head, bringing up memories of cruel laughter from long ago.

She raised a hand and snapped her delicate fingers.

There was a beat of silence before the room erupted with screams. Sounds of pain and terror filled the hall, sending fear spiking in his own heart. An instinctual part of him screamed to _run_ , to _get away_ , to _flee_ from this being that was obviously not human.

But he couldn’t move an inch. He couldn’t hide. He couldn’t curl up and make himself smaller. He could only lay there, belly exposed and vulnerable, as the screams of others echoed around him.

He turned his head and met Tim’s eyes.

The kid looked just as hopeless as Jason felt. Terrorised, in pain, and unable to move.

He wished he could get Tim out of here and spare him whatever was going to happen to them. The Goddess obviously didn’t have any hesitation with inflicting pain, and he didn’t even want to think about what that could mean.

They were putty in her hand. She could do whatever she liked with them.

He just hoped it was quick.

The screams came to a sudden stop and the temple fell into quiet. The only sounds were the flickering of the flames and Tim’s ragged breathing.

“Well, that was fun!” the being chirped, spinning on her toes to look back to Jason. She was smilingly sweetly, like she had just done him a favour, and the sight of it made his skin crawl. “Now, for your binds.”

She snapped again, and the binds around him disappeared.

He sat up quickly, ignoring the way that it made his head spin, and met the Goddess’s eyes. She was still smiling, innocent and friendly, even as blood pooled on the ground around her feet.

He looked past her to Tim, who had also been unbound and was now, curled up on the table and making himself as small as possible. Blood was smeared all over his chest, and he shivered in the air.

The sight broke Jason’s heart all over again, and he desperately wanted to crawl over to him and spirit him away.

Away from this fucked up cult ritual and the Goddess it brought up. Away from the air that stank of death. Away from all this pain and terror.

But just because the Goddess broke the restraints, that didn’t mean either of them was free.

The Goddess watched him, her eyes unnerving on his skin, but she didn’t make a move against him. He shifted, swinging his legs off the table, and waited to see if there was a reaction.

The being just stood there, silent and smiling.

He put some weight on his feet, careful of his broken ankle, and watched for any threat. When there was none, he hobbled off the table and crossed the distance between him and Tim.

“Jason,” Tim gasped when he came close, tears welling up in his eyes. He reached out desperately, and Jason gathered the kid in his arms. His brother was trembling in fear and pain, and every shiver made Jason’s heart break a little more.

He was trying to hold Tim, but his ankle screamed with the increased weight. He felt his knees buckling, and as gently as he could, he slipped Tim off the table and onto the ground.

Jason didn’t doubt that they were still in danger, but having Tim closer calmed a frantic part inside of him. It made it a little easier to believe that they might get out of here. They might be able to make it out alive.

He tried to ignore the way that blood stuck to his pant legs.

Tim leaned heavily against him, the kid impossibly against his side. One of his wrists was obviously broken, and he breathed wetly. When Tim coughed, blood splattered red on his hand.

The tiny bit of hope Jason was trying to hold on to wavered.

He needed to get them out of here. He needed to get Tim to a doctor. He needed to get them safe.

But the Goddess’s stare was still heavy on his shoulders. Jason couldn’t help but try to put more of his own body between Tim and the Goddess. The figure looked at him with a cocked head, seeming more like an owl than a being of unimaginable chaos.

“Is this the Replacement? I thought you were going to kill him?” she asked, and Jason felt Tim’s shiver against his own body.

Jason snarled, shoving himself more in front of Tim, even though a primitive part of him knew that he didn’t stand a chance if the goddess attacked. He was helpless against her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to put up a fight if that’s what it came to.

“Do you need help? I can kill him for you if you’d like,” she said lightly, and she raised a hand.

He felt Tim beginning to choke. His little brother’s body tensed and then all a sudden he was collapsing against Jason. He held him, barely able to breathe as the kid trembled between his hands. His brother’s hands flew to his throat, scraping at something that wasn’t there. His chest was stuttering, his body was beginning to convulse like he was having a seizure and Jason could do nothing to stop it.

“Stop it, stop it” his voice started quiet, and Tim’s desperate eyes met his. _Pain._ There was so much pain and fear in little brother, and he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t do _anything._ “Stop it!”

The goddess snapped her fingers and Tim gasped.

Jason’s panic screamed in his head, and he clutched Tim to his chest. His little brother’s chest rose and fell, filling with life that had almost been stolen from him. That bitch had almost killed him.

“What do you want from me?” Jason snapped, fear shifting into fury. The anger rose in him like an inferno, all-consuming and burning through everything else.

“There you are,” the being purred. “That’s my little knight.”

Jason wanted to tear her apart, but he held himself protectively over his brother. His muscles quivered in pure wrath.

“I’m not your anything,” he snarled, voice as dark as he could make it.

The Goddess blinked, her smile becoming just a little bit sadder. “No, you’re not anymore are you.”

She began circling them, like a wild cat stalking at the edges of the darkness. “You used to be. Don’t you remember? The fury twisting inside you, pushing you towards your vengeance. Don’t you remember that voice in your head? Making you go further, hit harder, and always want _more_?”

Jason’s eyes widened.

He did remember.

It was during the days with the League of Assassins, when the Lazarus Pit still filled his lungs and made him smile at the sight of blood. He was so full of rage, but deeper than that, the desire to sate something dark inside him.

That was the force that had pushed him forward.

It drew him to Gotham, to the Titans Tower, to drawing his brother’s screams from his throat and smiling cruelly at the sweet sound.

It had made him ignore the kid’s begging and become his own worst nightmare.

All for what?

_Vengeance._

Vengeance against a kid who had done nothing wrong and had no reason to be caught in Jason’s ill-fated attempt to lash out at his father.

The guilt hurt more than any blow ever could.

“You’ve changed,” the Goddess said, pressing a thin finger to her lips. “You’re not mine anymore.”

Jason looked up, not sure what to make about that. She only regarded him with an unreadable expression.

The Goddess hummed, coming closer. Jason tried to scramble back, but there was nowhere to go. Not if he still wanted to protect Tim. It didn’t matter in the end though, because he couldn’t stop the Goddess even though he desperately wanted to.

The being bent down, placing a hand under Tim’s chin, and raised his head.

Tim made a choked whimpering sound, and his hand searched for Jason’s. He caught the limb, squeezing it tightly.

The Goddess searched Tim’s face, and his little brother gulped anxiously. “Is he worth it?” she asked, voice empty.

“Were they all worth it? You gave up my power. My blessing.”

Jason’s voice caught in his throat, and he scrambled to find the right words.

“Yes,” he gasped finally, “Yes, they are.”

The Goddess hummed again and released Tim’s face. The kid jerked away, curling into Jason’s side. He shoved half his face into Jason’s shoulder and watched the Goddess with one fearful eye.

“Alright,” she said, even though she didn’t sound happy about it. She stepped away, her footsteps light and airy. Darkness began swirling around her, and she began shedding her humanity.

When the being turned around again, there wasn’t a trace of the little girl that had been there a moment before.

It smiled, and something primitive and helplessly human in him quaked.

“Goodbye for now, Jason Todd. If you ever need my assistance again, they do not hesitate to give me a ring. You’re still one of my favourites after all.”

Darkness swirled, wind rushed past them, a murmuring of a language that Jason didn’t recognise rang in his ear. The air was building, full of electricity, and with a snap, it all released. Jason squeezed his eyes shut, held Tim as close as possible, and waited.

And waited…

And…

He opened his eyes and blinked.

This was… the Cave?

He blinked again and the image didn’t change. There were the dinosaur and the giant penny and the familiar hum of the Batcomputer.

Beside him, Tim shifted, slowly uncurling and taking in everything around him.

“What just happened?” he asked, his voice full of disbelief. Jason shook his head, not able to give him an answer.

“I don’t know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Follow the series for more whump coming out from me! You can see my full card on my tumblr at [ SalParadiseLost ](https://salparadiselost.tumblr.com/post/643846701019529216/here-is-your-card-for-bad-things-happen-bingo.com). I'm taking some requests for prompts, so if you like a prompt and want to see a certain Batfam member experience the whump, then shoot me an ask!
> 
> Please leave a kudos and comment! Flattery gets you everywhere.


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